A century later they shifted to Mewar in Rajasthan. The bravery
and tribute of the Sisodia clan are known everywhere – from the pages of
history books to the folklore of Rajasthan. "
The Mewar dynasty is the
world’s oldest existing dynasty with a time span of 1,500 years and 26 generations
and has outlived centuries of foreign
domination. Extremely possessive about their culture, tradition and honor, the
Sisodias have played an important role in medieval Indian history as tireless
upholders of Hindu traditions.
Maharana Pratap Singh once refused lunch with Raja Man Singh
because he had given away his sister in marriage to Prince Salim, later Mughal
Emperor Jahangir. Man Singh avenged this insult by defeating Pratap at the
battle of Haldighati. Maharana Pratap’s son Amar Singh made peace with the
Mughals but unable to accept his dishonor, he gave up his title in favor of his
son Maharana Karan Singh. Amar Singh left Udaipur never to see its landscape
again.
Maharana means Great Warrior, and the one from Udaipur is the highly
praised head of all the 36 Rajput clans. The title of Rana was adopted in the
12th century, when the Parihara prince
of Mandore awarded it to the Prince of Mewar.
The Mewar dynasty descends from the sun family and is hence known
as Suryavanshi (descendents of the Sun) with the sun as its insignia. The
Maharana of Udaipur is crowned only after being anointed with blood drawn from
the palm of a Bhil chieftain, who then leads the Maharana to the throne of
Mewar.